When globetrotting around the world, a good inflight meal is something that would make the flight much more enjoyable. At Changi Airport, one of the ground handling companies providing inflight meals and airport lounge service is SATS. Their chefs and culinary teams are passionate about enabling people to eat well no matter where they are or how high they may be flying in the air.
Preparing meals that are tasty and nutritious for the millions of passengers who travel through Changi every year has its unique challenges. Changi Journeys (CJs) speaks with Executive Sous Chef, Saiful Effendy bin Saptu, who is part of the team at SATS that curates inflight meals and delish offerings in their airport lounge, to learn more about what his job entails.
CJs: Why did you choose to work in aviation catering instead of a restaurant or hotel?
Saiful: My decision to work in the airport lounge stems from my innate curiosity about what is involved in aviation catering. Having worked in hotels and restaurants for over 25 years, this opportunity has opened new perspectives for me. It is a great experience, as the main focus of my daily job at the lounge is to showcase what SATS has to offer and elevate the airport lounge dining experience.
CJs: What are the main challenges/ interesting issues that you face in this job?
Saiful: My main challenge was to adapt to a new working environment and approach. At SATS' inflight catering kitchen, we have different sectors focusing on different cuisines, so I have to collaborate with a variety of our speciality chefs. This provides me an opportunity to innovate and develop fresh menus and recipes, unlike those found in the catering facilities.
In our airport lounge, we need to provide a wide range of food and beverage options, served across buffet to live cooking stations. This gave me the opportunity to collaborate with the other chefs and curate different dishes from the food served onboard. The interesting part about this is the lounge menu has to feature both international and local signature delights, as well as different flavour profiles. For example, we created this cake with a Bandung flavour, to give international travellers a last taste of Singapore’s heritage before they head home.
The pink Bandung cake (foreground) has been specially curated for the SATS airport lounge.
CJs: What is your favourite dish served in this lounge and why?
Saiful: “Rumah Makan Minang”, or Nasi Padang, is a dish that evokes memories from my childhood. The other favorites will be SATS’ authentic Briyani, Ayam Masak Merah, and Hokkien Mee.
When I took on the task of redesigning the SATS Premier Lounge menus, I incorporated the idea of evoking memories through flavours. My objective is to showcase the best cuisines we can offer to a worldwide audience, highlighting the unique essence of Singaporean cuisine and heritage.
The full range of dishes available in the SATS lounge in October 2024. Chef Saiful and his team changes the menu every few months, to ensure variety for frequent travellers.
CJs: What gives you joy working in this job?
Saiful: When our guests approach me to thank me for the food or compliment on how much they loved their dining experience. Being able to receive such positive feedback first-hand motivates me and drives me to continue to explore new dishes and different recipes.
Especially for international travellers heading back to Europe or America, this is their last stop before their flight home. I take pride in giving them an authentic taste of Singapore before they leave Asia.
Chef Saiful putting the final touches to a plate of vegetables served in the airport lounge
CJs: What is a benefit of working as a chef in the aviation industry that people may not be aware of?
Saiful: I get to work with different business units, including different airline lounges. I also get to meet and interact with travellers from different parts of the world.
If I was working in a hotel or restaurant, I will always be in the background, in the kitchen. When I am at the airport lounge, I get to be at the frontline at times. This gives me the opportunity to explain my dishes to the travellers and share stories about the heritage of the dish or my inspiration for its creation.
Food connects people, and when you share the story behind a particular dish, it elevates the whole experience for them and makes the food even more enjoyable.
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